Noodle Madness at Bamijompalung

There are hundreds, nay, thousands of bami (egg noodle) street stalls scattered around this noodle-fixated city. However, Bamijompalung, which literally translates as the powerful noodle, has charged through the ranks to become one of the most popular. Why is it setting the city’s noodle world alight? To put it simply, as well as being tasty it appeals to the Thais’ love of a zany food promotion.

Head to either of its two locales – one in Chinatown during the week, the other at the Railway Market near JJ on weekends – order in the humungous kort piset (B250) and get ready for the gluttonous game to begin. Basically, the challenge is this: finish the whole thing in five minutes and you don’t pay a satang. Two friends are allowed to help you. Sounds easy enough, doesn’t it? Wrong: so big is this beast that we urge you not to be too cocky and, preferably, starve yourself beforehand.

If you don’t fancy wolfing down your food, you’re of course welcome to pay full whack and enjoy it at your own pace.

Plus, there are other options, from tamada, or normal sized, bowls (B50) to the even more gargantuan chaew narok – a bowl so bloated with meat, veg and other goodies that to give it away would soon have the owners filing for bankruptcy. Brimming with Chinese mustard, boiled eggs, roasted pork, wontons, fried chicken wings, meat balls, minced pork with crabmeat, capelins, steamed shrimps, New Zealand mussels and no less than two and a half kgs of noodle, we estimate that you’ll need about 8-10 people to finish it. Seriously.

Run by a handsome twentysomething and his girlfriend, this comically super-sized noodle stall is worth seeking out. To truly blend in with the locals, be sure to post the before and after pictures on Facebook afterwards.

The noodle shop is a little deeper in to Yaowarat road than the crowded zone. It is next to Thanon Mangkon intersection. Keep looking on the left hand side, the noodle stand is in front of the gold shop and a bus stop.